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I could see Macy's being a good fit at either of the indoor malls or possibly in Park Avenue if they did something like their downtown location in St. Louis. The problem with either of the indoor malls is 1- No space at Park Plaza 2- Smaller space at McCain and competition with Dillards (who would probably not want them moving in...).

My list:

I don't particularly care for Apple, but their stores are really nice and they carry some retail street-cred for where ever they locate so:

Apple Store (wait for it...) at Park Plaza, as well as the Promenade. I get why they want to locate in the Promenade, but it's way the hell out there and there's a large population of Apple's target demographic (especially considering how many of their products I see in these places) in the Hillcrest/Heights area that I believe could support an additional store. Plus, the Park Plaza mall has been doing quite well for itself lately and with the area on the rise (Midtowne is a nice development, and with Park Plaza getting off the ground soon...) it makes it a nice upscale retail destination for an Apple Store. Right now people are just ordering these things online or getting them from other cities... I'm confident Little Rock residents buy enough MacBooks, iPods, iPads, and iMacs to justify the stores.

Macy's- I don't mind Dillard's and I want an Arkansas company to do well, but Macy's is so much better marketed than Dillard's (and the Dillard's stores here are a bit tired, especially compared to their newer locations in NWA or Texas)that they're practically inviting a Macy's to move into the LR metro and take some of their market.

Restoration Hardware- I love this store, and I don't understand why there isn't one here other than the company's shaky footing lately. I could see this being very successful in a space at Midtowne or Park Plaza. It could probably work at the Promenade or Shackleford Crossings too, but I don't see that being as good of a fit for them.

Crate and Barrel- Probably not going to happen in the near future with Container Store being a relatively recent addition and the relatively similar nature of the stores, but it would be a fantastic anchor at the Promenade or Park Plaza. Like Apple, I don't have any special attraction to shopping there, but their store designs are normally fantastic and once again, retail street-cred.

TGI Fridays- Why there isn't one in Little Rock I simply don't understand. I miss my fried mac and cheese.

Panera Bread location downtown- I've heard about them locating in Park Avenue and that's great, but if they'd put a location in just off the River Market (I'm thinking as part of the Main Street redevelopment), that'd do wonders for helping move things along. It might kill a local place though, so I'm conflicted on this one.

Downtown grocery- The copper grocery was a convenience store with even higher prices and it failed for a reason. A small Kroger would work well in an existing building downtown as the residential population keeps increasing.

A Lowe's in West Little Rock- Seriously, why isn't there one? Fayetteville has 2, NWA in total has 7, Fort Smith/Van Buren have 2, they've opened new locations in Mountain Home, Paragould, the previously mentioned Van Buren, Bentonville, Blytheville, and Bryant within the past several years, but the Little Rock immediate area has... 1, and it's in North Little Rock. They normally locate in growing areas or areas prone to development/redevelopment, so how they missed the WLR/Midtown boat is beyond my understanding. Although cross shopped to a pretty high degree, there are a lot of people that will go to a Lowe's that don't like Home Depot (like myself under normal circumstances) who would love a location somewhere in Little Rock.

That's all for now off the top of my head. Obviously there are other things I'd love to see here, but I'm trying to be a little realistic with my list for the near-ish future..

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I could see Macy's being a good fit at either of the indoor malls or possibly in Park Avenue if they did something like their downtown location in St. Louis. The problem with either of the indoor malls is 1- No space at Park Plaza 2- Smaller space at McCain and competition with Dillards (who would probably not want them moving in...).

My list:

I don't particularly care for Apple, but their stores are really nice and they carry some retail street-cred for where ever they locate so:

Apple Store (wait for it...) at Park Plaza, as well as the Promenade. I get why they want to locate in the Promenade, but it's way the hell out there and there's a large population of Apple's target demographic (especially considering how many of their products I see in these places) in the Hillcrest/Heights area that I believe could support an additional store. Plus, the Park Plaza mall has been doing quite well for itself lately and with the area on the rise (Midtowne is a nice development, and with Park Plaza getting off the ground soon...) it makes it a nice upscale retail destination for an Apple Store. Right now people are just ordering these things online or getting them from other cities... I'm confident Little Rock residents buy enough MacBooks, iPods, iPads, and iMacs to justify the stores.

Macy's- I don't mind Dillard's and I want an Arkansas company to do well, but Macy's is so much better marketed than Dillard's (and the Dillard's stores here are a bit tired, especially compared to their newer locations in NWA or Texas)that they're practically inviting a Macy's to move into the LR metro and take some of their market.

Restoration Hardware- I love this store, and I don't understand why there isn't one here other than the company's shaky footing lately. I could see this being very successful in a space at Midtowne or Park Plaza. It could probably work at the Promenade or Shackleford Crossings too, but I don't see that being as good of a fit for them.

Crate and Barrel- Probably not going to happen in the near future with Container Store being a relatively recent addition and the relatively similar nature of the stores, but it would be a fantastic anchor at the Promenade or Park Plaza. Like Apple, I don't have any special attraction to shopping there, but their store designs are normally fantastic and once again, retail street-cred.

TGI Fridays- Why there isn't one in Little Rock I simply don't understand. I miss my fried mac and cheese.

Panera Bread location downtown- I've heard about them locating in Park Avenue and that's great, but if they'd put a location in just off the River Market (I'm thinking as part of the Main Street redevelopment), that'd do wonders for helping move things along. It might kill a local place though, so I'm conflicted on this one.

Downtown grocery- The copper grocery was a convenience store with even higher prices and it failed for a reason. A small Kroger would work well in an existing building downtown as the residential population keeps increasing.

A Lowe's in West Little Rock- Seriously, why isn't there one? Fayetteville has 2, NWA in total has 7, Fort Smith/Van Buren have 2, they've opened new locations in Mountain Home, Paragould, the previously mentioned Van Buren, Bentonville, Blytheville, and Bryant within the past several years, but the Little Rock immediate area has... 1, and it's in North Little Rock. They normally locate in growing areas or areas prone to development/redevelopment, so how they missed the WLR/Midtown boat is beyond my understanding. Although cross shopped to a pretty high degree, there are a lot of people that will go to a Lowe's that don't like Home Depot (like myself under normal circumstances) who would love a location somewhere in Little Rock.

That's all for now off the top of my head. Obviously there are other things I'd love to see here, but I'm trying to be a little realistic with my list for the near-ish future..

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Maybe Simon can renovate MCcain Mall and demolish the former MmCohn Space and expand the mall with a new wing fill with upscale stores and restaurants and add a Macy's store as an anchor.

If it weren't Simon I'd say that you might be on to something. They've made some very slight improvements in the form of doing some delayed maintenance here and there, but the mall needs a good facelift and interior remodel (even a soft remodel) to extend it's viability and increase appeal to higher-end tenants. Honestly, it wouldn't even cost THAT much to give it a new look. A full renovation or heavy remodel (Park Plaza) would cost a lot, but it's amazing what you can do for curb appeal, interior lighting and landscaping, and flooring/decor/paint with a few million even on a building that size. Right now they have nothing to offer a higher end retailer beyond a good location, because the facilities and the tenant list are nothing special.

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I could see Macy's being a good fit at either of the indoor malls or possibly in Park Avenue if they did something like their downtown location in St. Louis. The problem with either of the indoor malls is 1- No space at Park Plaza 2- Smaller space at McCain and competition with Dillards (who would probably not want them moving in...).

My list:

I don't particularly care for Apple, but their stores are really nice and they carry some retail street-cred for where ever they locate so:

Apple Store (wait for it...) at Park Plaza, as well as the Promenade. I get why they want to locate in the Promenade, but it's way the hell out there and there's a large population of Apple's target demographic (especially considering how many of their products I see in these places) in the Hillcrest/Heights area that I believe could support an additional store. Plus, the Park Plaza mall has been doing quite well for itself lately and with the area on the rise (Midtowne is a nice development, and with Park Plaza getting off the ground soon...) it makes it a nice upscale retail destination for an Apple Store. Right now people are just ordering these things online or getting them from other cities... I'm confident Little Rock residents buy enough MacBooks, iPods, iPads, and iMacs to justify the stores.

Macy's- I don't mind Dillard's and I want an Arkansas company to do well, but Macy's is so much better marketed than Dillard's (and the Dillard's stores here are a bit tired, especially compared to their newer locations in NWA or Texas)that they're practically inviting a Macy's to move into the LR metro and take some of their market.

Restoration Hardware- I love this store, and I don't understand why there isn't one here other than the company's shaky footing lately. I could see this being very successful in a space at Midtowne or Park Plaza. It could probably work at the Promenade or Shackleford Crossings too, but I don't see that being as good of a fit for them.

Crate and Barrel- Probably not going to happen in the near future with Container Store being a relatively recent addition and the relatively similar nature of the stores, but it would be a fantastic anchor at the Promenade or Park Plaza. Like Apple, I don't have any special attraction to shopping there, but their store designs are normally fantastic and once again, retail street-cred.

TGI Fridays- Why there isn't one in Little Rock I simply don't understand. I miss my fried mac and cheese.

Panera Bread location downtown- I've heard about them locating in Park Avenue and that's great, but if they'd put a location in just off the River Market (I'm thinking as part of the Main Street redevelopment), that'd do wonders for helping move things along. It might kill a local place though, so I'm conflicted on this one.

Downtown grocery- The copper grocery was a convenience store with even higher prices and it failed for a reason. A small Kroger would work well in an existing building downtown as the residential population keeps increasing.

A Lowe's in West Little Rock- Seriously, why isn't there one? Fayetteville has 2, NWA in total has 7, Fort Smith/Van Buren have 2, they've opened new locations in Mountain Home, Paragould, the previously mentioned Van Buren, Bentonville, Blytheville, and Bryant within the past several years, but the Little Rock immediate area has... 1, and it's in North Little Rock. They normally locate in growing areas or areas prone to development/redevelopment, so how they missed the WLR/Midtown boat is beyond my understanding. Although cross shopped to a pretty high degree, there are a lot of people that will go to a Lowe's that don't like Home Depot (like myself under normal circumstances) who would love a location somewhere in Little Rock.

That's all for now off the top of my head. Obviously there are other things I'd love to see here, but I'm trying to be a little realistic with my list for the near-ish future..

Good comments, and I totally concur on your perspective on Apple. It confuses me, so I know they've been conflicted about where to locate. But, if I were Steve Jobs, my choice would be Park Plaza...SO much more exposure and SO much more pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Regarding Macy's...I could see them entering the market with a store at McCain (if Simon did a complete overhaul instead of their obvious and intentional neglect) AND a store at Chenal Promenade (note the open space to the west, on axis with the center of the development). If an anchor happened, I could see Cheesecake Factory and other locales blossom at this center.

p.s. Restoration Hardware used to have locations in Memphis and Jackson, MS...both closed. Don't look for a location to open here.

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Good comments, and I totally concur on your perspective on Apple. It confuses me, so I know they've been conflicted about where to locate. But, if I were Steve Jobs, my choice would be Park Plaza...SO much more exposure and SO much more pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Regarding Macy's...I could see them entering the market with a store at McCain (if Simon did a complete overhaul instead of their obvious and intentional neglect) AND a store at Chenal Promenade (note the open space to the west, on axis with the center of the development). If an anchor happened, I could see Cheesecake Factory and other locales blossom at this center.

p.s. Restoration Hardware used to have locations in Memphis and Jackson, MS...both closed. Don't look for a location to open here.

Park Plaza does seem the logical choice to me for Apple. Upper middle class kids, students, and young professionals with disposable income is Apple's bread and butter, and that's pretty much the entire clientele of Park Plaza. The Promenade is very nice, but skews much older overall and I just don't see it being as strong a fit. I still think the dual location format would let them best capitalize off the Chenal money and the Midtown/Hillcrest/Height money together.

I think Macys would be a great Chenal anchor, but I have a hard time picturing them there. Maybe it's just because that center is currently so disconnected from most things, but I have a feeling if a Macy's went in out there it would certainly pick up the pace of development on that end. How that'd affect the rest of town, I don't know.

As for Restoration Hardware... I know. But that store is just perfect for the type of people in Hillcrest/Heights that are doing these renovations and overhauls on houses on practically a weekly basis and for the people in Chenal/Pleasant Valley, etc. that are doing remodels and new construction and aim for that high end finish/products as well. I'll keep wishing for it and maybe someday the stars will align and they'll open here.

And- totally agree with LRguy21 on the final plans for Park Avenue. I get that the economy is bad right now and financing is hard to obtain, but I'm afraid Strode will end up watering things down too much in the interest of easy/fast financing and end up missing out on a once in a generation opportunity to redevelop what used to be the biggest retail block in Arkansas into something special (and profitable). Ultimately, I'd love to see a plan similar to their original carried out (although I worry about the impact a 1 story Target taking up that much land will have on the appeal of the development to office/residential prospects) and then the properties bordering it eventually being razed or redeveloped and worked into the overall segment. In my utopian vision of what it could be, The entire stretch from 630 to Markham along that side of University would be redeveloped as the Park Avenue "neighborhood" in a large mixed use project. Some of the existing buildings could be salvaged and renovated, others would just need scrapped. But the likelihood of that happening is slim at best.

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I agree with you all that Apple will do well in Park Plaza rather than Promenade at Chenal due to its location and the amount of foot traffic at the mall.

Cheesecake Factory will likely end up at MCcain Mall ( that is if Simon do a major renovation to the mall) due to its location in a heavy populated area. They are known for locating its restaurants in major upscale shopping centers such as The Galleria in St. Louis or Stonebriar Centre in Frisco, Tx. The Promenade at Chenal would be perfect for Cheesecake Factory due to its upscale settings but it is not a major shopping center like Park Plaza or MCcain Mall area. If Park Plaza had more room to expand maybe it would end up there.

As for Park Ave, someone on another post mention two restaurants planning to locate there though I don't know if it's official. Dick Sporting Goods was mentioned earlier to be in the development but was taken down.

Restoration Hardware is not doing well in this economy and therefore opening fewer ( if any) stores in 2011.

I would love to see H&M store here and Maggiano Italy.

What about Pappadeaux? I definitely love to see them here based on my experience at their locations in Texas.

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I would love to see a Lowe's in Little Rock proper. It's not too unreasonable to go to NLR, but it would be nice. I think the old Kroger location out on Chenal could be a good location for it, but really anywhere would be nice.

I too would jump on the Apple, Crate & Barrel and J Crew bandwagon.

Some that I have not seen mentioned would be Club Monaco (Park Plaza or Promenade could work), Urban Outfitters (would make my wife very happy, and hopefully a successful Anthropologie would lead to UO as well) and Buca di Beppo (yes another Italian place, but I love the food and the "family style" portions are very generous).

I also see the point everyone is making in saying Promenade is far out and disconnected, but the last few times I have been there I have see a decent amount of foot traffic. I think as it gets more stores that draw people in it will continue to do better. I think if it does finally land Apple and J. Crew it could be a nice victory for the center.

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Downtown grocery- The copper grocery was a convenience store with even higher prices and it failed for a reason. A small Kroger would work well in an existing building downtown as the residential population keeps increasing.

A Lowe's in West Little Rock- Seriously, why isn't there one? Fayetteville has 2, NWA in total has 7, Fort Smith/Van Buren have 2, they've opened new locations in Mountain Home, Paragould, the previously mentioned Van Buren, Bentonville, Blytheville, and Bryant within the past several years, but the Little Rock immediate area has... 1, and it's in North Little Rock. They normally locate in growing areas or areas prone to development/redevelopment, so how they missed the WLR/Midtown boat is beyond my understanding. Although cross shopped to a pretty high degree, there are a lot of people that will go to a Lowe's that don't like Home Depot (like myself under normal circumstances) who would love a location somewhere in Little Rock.

A grocery store in downtown Little Rock is very much a chicken/egg scenario. I think a "real" grocery store is waiting for more people to move in. I think some people are waiting for more amenities (such as a grocery store) before they come downtown. I'm ready for a group or person to take the lead much like what happened with the River Market. So far, nothing doing. And if we leave it up to Stephens, we're just going to have more parking lots or bland office buildings.

As for Lowe's... you're dead on in that they want to locate in areas prone to development/redevelopment. With that said, how much money have Lowe's and Home Depot missed out on in the Maumelle area? Just a few years ago, they were building 300 houses a year in Maumelle. They have Fuller & Sons on the Boulevard... but either chain store could have dang near printed their own money in Maumelle throughout the 2000s.

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A grocery store in downtown Little Rock is very much a chicken/egg scenario. I think a "real" grocery store is waiting for more people to move in. I think some people are waiting for more amenities (such as a grocery store) before they come downtown. I'm ready for a group or person to take the lead much like what happened with the River Market. So far, nothing doing. And if we leave it up to Stephens, we're just going to have more parking lots or bland office buildings.

As for Lowe's... you're dead on in that they want to locate in areas prone to development/redevelopment. With that said, how much money have Lowe's and Home Depot missed out on in the Maumelle area? Just a few years ago, they were building 300 houses a year in Maumelle. They have Fuller & Sons on the Boulevard... but either chain store could have dang near printed their own money in Maumelle throughout the 2000s.

I didn't realize the Copper Grill had closed the grocery store. An alternative store for downtown dwellers is the Argenta Market at 6th & Main in NLR.

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A successful opening for Porter's Jazz Cafe at 315 Main St. I am hoping this will spur other development along this part of Main. Since this is a wish list a Gus's Chicken from Memphis would be at the top of my list and a downtown location would be perfect.

Dunkin Donuts https://www.dunkindonuts.com/ I actually got an email from Dunkin Donuts for a free frozen coffee drink that was good only in the Little Rock/Pine Bluff metro Dunkin Donuts. Sadly, there aren't any.

Lowes. Lowes actually applied to put a store in at the corner of Bowman and Kanis several years ago. The City of Little Rock Planning Commission rejected the application because the lot was too small. On the property now sits a super Hanks and a lot of empty space. Personally I think there was enough room for a Lowes but they didn't ask me.

Taco Bueno. I know there is one in SWLR and there is one in Maumelle but why can't there be one in WLR somewhere?

Oh, and I forgot to add: Aldi. http://aldi.us/index_ENU_HTML.htm Quirky little store that I like to stop in whenever I happen to come across one. NWA has several of these (Ft. Smith and Fayetteville, probably others, too.) It's kinda Trader Joe's (corporate cousin) meets Neighborhood Market.

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So no one had a "Kum and Go" on their wish list? Shocking. Well, if you did and were just too embarrassed by the name to mention it, you're wish will come true. They are proposing one at the SW corner of Col. Glenn (Asher) and University Ave.

Let the jokes begin.

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What about Red Robin and Abuelo's Mexican Embassy? I think these restaurants were mentioned as a possible tenant for Shackleford Crossing. I wonder if they are still interested in the Little Rock Market? Also, a Joe's Crab Shack will do well here with a location in the McCain Mall corridor in NLR. So glad to see Apple and J Crew finally considering a location at the Promenade at Chenal.

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Abuelos was supposed to go at Shackleford Crossings until it downgraded itself with Wal-Mart (when Belk bought Parisian) AND the franchisee - who owns the Rogers location - was in financial trouble. In fact, the later reason is what I heard was the primary issue. I wouldn't be surprised to see this land at a Promenade outparcel.

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Abuelos was supposed to go at Shackleford Crossings until it downgraded itself with Wal-Mart (when Belk bought Parisian) AND the franchisee - who owns the Rogers location - was in financial trouble. In fact, the later reason is what I heard was the primary issue. I wouldn't be surprised to see this land at a Promenade outparcel.

I haven't lived in Little Rock quite long enough to be familiar with all that happened with Shackleford Crossings- did adding Walmart as an anchor really hurt them from a leasing perspective? It seems like the Walmart is pretty disconnected and the other anchors (JC Penny, Gordman's, Babies R Us, and Haverty's) are all pretty generic retail tenants, nothing especially upscale that I would have thought might attract a higher end restaurant to the development otherwise.

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Pleasant Ridge secured Parisian department store as a tenant, and Shackleford Crossings had secured Belk...to locate (basically) where Wal-Mart now stands. When Belk bought Parisian, they obviously didn't want/need two stores so close to one another, so they kept the Pleasant Ridge location and abandoned Shackleford Crossings. The decision to add Wal-Mart fundamentally changed the demographics/makeup of the center, and I had under good authority that when this happened it had a ripple affect on what tenants ended up coming on board. Many higher end tenants then bailed on the project.